Fun Facts: April Fool’s Day!

Some historians believe that April Fools’ Day began in France, and was connected to Pope Gregory XIII’s adoption of the Gregorian calendar, which moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. April Fools’ may have originated because those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of the foolish folks who continued to celebrate it on other dates.
April Fools’ may also be tied to the ancient Roman Festival of Hilaria – also know as Roman Laughing Day
Geoffrey Chaucer made the earliest recorded reference to April Fools’ Day in the “Canterbury Tales” (“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”) in 1392.
In Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the April Fools’ Day tradition is referred to as “April fish”. On April 1, pranksters would try to stick a paper fish to someone’s back without being noticed
On April Fools’ Day, 1976, the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on Earth. Phone lines were flooded with callers who claimed they felt the effects.
1996 – Taco Bell Corp. runs a full-page ad in several major newspapers claiming it has purchased the Liberty Bell and is renaming it the “Taco Liberty Bell.”
On April Fools Day 1974, a man hauled 70 tires into the crater of a dormant volcano in Alaska and set them on fire, terrifying nearby residents into thinking the volcano was erupting again.
On April Fools Day 2002 NASA posted a picture that proved the moon was made of cheese including expiration date